Red-headed birds in Australia range from colourful parrots to pink-and-grey cockatoos. The fastest way to narrow a sighting is to check cheek colour, body colour, tail length and bill shape.
Australian King-Parrot — Photo: Glen Fergus, CC BY-SA 2.5, source.
Crimson Rosella — Photo: Mike’s Birds, CC BY-SA 2.0, source.
Eastern Rosella — Photo: SuperJew, CC BY-SA 3.0, source.
Galah — Photo: Peter A, CC BY-SA 3.0, source.
Likely birds to compare
- Australian King-Parrot — adult males have a bright red head and underparts with green wings; females are mostly green-headed.
- Crimson Rosella — mostly crimson with blue cheek patches and blue wings.
- Eastern Rosella — red head, white cheeks, yellow belly and patterned back.
- Galah — pink face and chest with grey wings and a short pale crest.
- Red Wattlebird — mostly brown-grey, but with red wattles on the sides of the neck rather than a fully red head.
Key identification clues
Rosellas are compact parrots with long tails and colourful cheek patches. King-Parrots are larger and longer-bodied. Galahs have a classic cockatoo shape, grey wings and broad pink underparts. If the red is only a small facial or neck patch, also consider honeyeaters and other non-parrot species.
For a wider search, use the Australian parrots guide or return to Identify Australian Birds.